assembly
[ uh-sem-blee ]
/ əˈsɛm bli /
noun, plural as·sem·blies.
an assembling or coming together of a number of persons, usually for a particular purpose: The principal will speak to all the students at Friday's assembly.
a group of persons gathered together, usually for a particular purpose, whether religious, political, educational, or social.
(often initial capital letter) Government. a legislative body, especially the lower house of the legislature in certain states of the U.S.: a bill before the assembly; the New York State Assembly.
Military.
- a signal, as by drum or bugle, for troops to fall into ranks or otherwise assemble.
- the movement of forces, tanks, soldiers, etc., scattered by battle or battle drill, toward and into a small area.
the putting together of complex machinery, as airplanes, from interchangeable parts of standard dimensions.
Machinery. a group of machine parts, especially one forming a self-contained, independently mounted unit.Compare subassembly.
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Nearby words
Origin of assembly
1275–1325; Middle English assemblee < Middle French, literally, (that which is) assembled, feminine past participle of assembler to assemble
SYNONYMS FOR assembly
Related formspre·as·sem·bly, noun, plural pre·as·sem·blies.re·as·sem·bly, noun, plural re·as·sem·blies.self-as·sem·bly, noun, plural self·-as·sem·blies.
Can be confusedassemblage assembly
Synonym study
1, 2. See convention.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for assembly
British Dictionary definitions for assembly (1 of 2)
assembly
/ (əˈsɛmblɪ) /
noun plural -blies
a number of people gathered together, esp for a formal meeting held at regular intervals
the act of assembling or the state of being assembled
the process of putting together a number of parts to make a machine or other product
machinery a group of mating components before or after fitting together
military
- a signal for personnel to assemble, as by drum, bugle, etc
- (as modifier)an assembly area
British Dictionary definitions for assembly (2 of 2)
Assembly
/ (əˈsɛmblɪ) /
noun plural -blies
the lower chamber in various American state legislaturesSee also House of Assembly, legislative assembly, National Assembly
NZ short for General Assembly
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for assembly
assembly
c.1300, "a gathering of persons, a group gathered for some purpose," from Old French as(s)emblee "assembly, gathering; union, marriage," noun use of fem. past participle of assembler "to assemble" (see assemble). Meaning "gathering together" is recorded from early 15c.; that of "act of assembling parts or objects" is from 1914, as is assembly line. School sense is recorded from 1932.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper